Great cheers at the start of the NRW evening in the German House in Paris
The NRW quartet from the State Chancellery and the North Rhine-Westphalia State Sports Association as well as D.SPORTS / Sportstadt Düsseldorf and Essen Marketing had invited guests to the theme evening and together watched the bronze race of the NRW para-sprinter Irmgard Bensuan. High-profile guests from sports, politics and business followed the call to the Stade Jean Bouin rugby stadium. The Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, welcomed, among others, the DBS President Friedhelm Julius Beucher, the State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of the Interior and for Home Affairs, Juliane Seifert, and the German Ambassador to France, Stephan Steinlein.
As part of the stage program, LSB Vice President Marion Rodewald, the CEO of D.SPORTS and the city director from Essen answered questions in a talk. Timo Skrzypski took the stage together with para table tennis player Tom Schmidberger from Düsseldorf, Peter Renzel together with para rower Marc Lembeck, who trains on the Baldeneysee in Essen. As part of a NRW quiz, the athletes and guests present were able to win exclusive sports experiences in the region, such as the VIP tickets for the Rhine-Ruhr FISU World University Games 2025, which are being offered as a prize by the State Chancellery and which will include para competitions in 3×3 wheelchair basketball for the first time.
Top performance requires first-class conditions
Hendrik Wüst, Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, underlined the importance of the Paralympics and para-competitive sports for Sportland.NRW in his statements: “The sporting world is once again turning its attention to Paris these days. The Paralympic Games are another highlight of this sporting year. Athletes from all over the world are delivering outstanding performances here. They have prepared over a long period of time with great personal commitment and discipline. This also requires first-class conditions, to which the Paralympic Center in North Rhine-Westphalia makes a decisive contribution. Our athletes deserve recognition and support for their achievements. The Games set an important example for acceptance, tolerance, respect and team spirit – values that are of central importance in our society.”
Marion Rodewald: “Even people with physical disabilities deliver real top-class sport”
On 30 July, the first NRW evening in the German House had already taken place during the
Olympic Games. Marion Rodewald, Vice President of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Sports Association: “The Paralympic Games in Paris impressively demonstrate that people with physical disabilities can also deliver real top-class sport. Like their Olympic fellow athletes, they stand for outstanding performance and strength of will. The message of the Paralympics is clear: There must be no restrictions or different conditions for athletes with and without physical disabilities when it comes to the joy of movement and top sporting performances. It is precisely this awareness that we must continue to promote, from Olympic and Paralympic top-class sport to the club level.”
Commitment to para-sports in Düsseldorf: A strong team for the future
Timo Skrzypski, CEO of D.LIVE: “In Düsseldorf, we have been promoting Paralympic sport with great passion for many years. This is demonstrated, among other things, by the fact that we have combined our Olympic and Paralympic support teams into a joint elite support team for many years. For example, the three members of Borussia Düsseldorf’s extremely successful wheelchair table tennis team – Valentin Baus, Sandra Mikolaschek and Thomas Schmidberger – have been part of the team since
He has been part of our Düsseldorf team for a long time. And with swimmer Philip Hebmüller, who is currently competing in his first Paralympic Games, we have recently added another promising talent to this team. Our clear goal is and remains to continue on the path we have chosen and thus provide other para-athletes with optimal support and support.”
Inclusion and sports promotion: Essen’s city director emphasizes the importance of shared networks
Peter Renzel, City Director of the City of Essen: “The performances of the athletes at the Paralympics are outstanding! As in the weeks before, we are experiencing fantastic sporting highlights in front of impressive backdrops. Sport has many functions in our society: one of them is inclusion. Promoting inclusive facilities that adapt to the special training needs of athletes with physical disabilities is our common goal. The sports-loving cities in NRW agree on this. The NRW evening impressively shows what offers are available and where very good cooperation in the sense of promoting sport is already taking place. We want to further expand these networks.”
Source: State Chancellery of NRW
Pictures:
- Mark Hermenau / Land NRW
- picture alliance / Annette Riedl / Team D Paralympics
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